Fishing apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

I. DUNHAM. FISHING APPARATUS.

N0, 478 ,579. Patented July 12, 1892.

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2 Sheets- Sheet 2. I. DUNHAM. FISHING APPARATUS.

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IRA'DUNHAM, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

FISHING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 478,579, dated July 12, 1892. Application filed April 9,1892. Serial No. 428,434. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IRA DUNHAM, of Detroit, in the county of IVayne and State of Michi gan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fishing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fishing apparatus; and it consists in the improvements hereinafterdescribed,and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation showing a side view of an apparatus embodying 'my invention, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the end of the net which is farthest toward the stern of the vessel. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the entire apparatus. Fig. 4 is a section of one of the fish-cars supported in the frame below the hull of the vessel. Fig. 5 is a detail view, and Fig. 6 is a plan of the apparatus used to close one of the exits from the not when one of the fish-scars is removed.

The same reference-letter indicates the same part in all the views.

A is a vessel of ordinary construction and adapted to be propelled by steam or other power.

B is a well passing vertically through said vessel.

0 C are guides passing through said well at its corners and extending below the hull of the vessel.

D D represent ,horizontal beams uniting the guides O C and forming, together with said guides, a frame below the hull of the vessel at the lower end of the well 13.

E E are rectangular fish-cars. One end of each of said'fish-cars is closed by a wire-netting e, Fig. 4, and the other end is provided with a wire door F, pivoted at the upper part of the car, so that it may be dropped down to close the entrance of the car or may be raised to leave said entrance unobstructed. fis a rope attached to said door and extending up to the deck of the vessel.

a a are ropes secured to the cars E E and extending through the well B.

The door F may be operated from the deck of the vessel by means of the rope f.

G is a beam pivoted at m m at the bow of the vessel so as to turn in a vertical plane and extending horizontally at right angles to the keel.

g g g g are beams extending vertically downward from and rigidly secured to the beam G. H H H is a rod, preferably made of gas-pipe,

extending horizontally at its central portion and vertically at each end. The vertical ends of the rod II are secured and adapted to slide in ways h h h on the beams g g.

I I are rods rigidly secured to the horizontal portion of the rod H and extending vertically through guides upon the two central beams g g. The upper end of the rod II and the upper ends of the rods I I are bent to form handles 2' J is a frame having the shape and size of the front of the frame 0 D.

K is a rope or rod passing through an aperture in the frame J and secured at one end to the frame 0 D and at the other end to the bow of the vessel. a L'L are ropes connecting the upper corners of the frame J with the ends of the-beam G,

and M M are ropes connecting the lower corners of the frame .Iwith the ends of the horizontal portion of the rod H.

N N N N is anetfilling the spaces between the beam G, ropes L L, ropes M M, frame J, and rod H.

P is a rope secured to the center of the frame J, passing round a pulleyp upon the frame 0 D, and extending to the deck of the vessel through the well B.

Q is a spar secured rigidly at one end to the center of the beam G and extending in front of the vessel at right angles to said beam.

R R R are ropes connecting the ends and center of the horizontal portion of the rod H with the free end of the spar Q.

S is a mast or spar extending vertically upward from the hull of the vessel.

T is a halyard secured to the end of the spar Q, passing over a pulley upon the upper end of the mast S, and descending to the deck.

The operation of the above-described de vice is as follows; The frame J is drawn close to the frame 0 by drawing upon the rope P. The cars E E are placed in the frame 0 Dbelow the well B, with their ends that are provided with doors F toward the bow of the vessel. If there is sufficient depth of water the spar Q remains horizontal, the rod Hbeing then at its lowest position. If the water is shallow, the spar Q is 'raised by means 0f the halyard T, thus raising the rod H, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and holding the ropes M M taut, the rods I I and vertical portions of the rod H sliding upward in the guides h h h. The doors F are raised by means of the ropesf. It will be noticed that the net N is now in the shape of the surface of the 'frustum of a pyramid, the ends being open and the base below the bow of thevessel and the smaller end againstthe open ends of the fish-cars E E. When the vessel is,

driven forward, the fish in the water that passes above the horizontal and between the vertical portions of the rod II pass along the net N and into the cars E E.. When it is desired to remove the fish from the cars E or examine said cars, the door F is lowered down, closing the end of one of the cars, and said car is drawn to the deck oi: the vessel through the well B by ropes a. a, attachedto said cars, or otherwise. I prefer to remove one car at a time and to close the aperture that would otherwise be left by means of a wire screen Z), Fig. 6, attached to the end of a handle (1, until said car is replaced.

To examine or mend the net, the rope P is loosened, the spar Q turned up to or beyond a vertical position, and the frame J drawn along the rope or red K to the bow of the vessel, so that the net may be taken upon the deck.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a fishing apparatus, the combination of a vessel, a net secured near the bow and extending toward the stern of said vessel, and one or more receptacles for fish located at the rear end of said net and accessible from said vessel, substantially as shown and described. 2. In a fishing apparatus, the combination of the vessel A, a net N, secured at the bow of said vessel to a frame-work G H and extending toward the stern of said vessel, said frame-work being pivoted to said vessel, and means for turning said frame-work and holdin g it in its various positions, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a fishing apparatus, the combination of the vessel A, provided with awell B through its hull, a net N, secured at one end at the bow of said vessel and extending to said well, and one or more receptacles for fish located at the lower end of said well, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a fishing apparatus, the combination of the vessel A, a net N, secured at the bow of said vessel to a frame-work G H and extending toward the stern of said vessel, said frame-Work being pivoted to said vessel and being adapted to be contracted and expanded,

and means for rotating said frame and holding it in its various positions, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination of the vessel A, provided with a frame-work O D below its hull, fish-receptacles E E, adapted to rest in said frame-Work, a frame-work G H, pivoted toward the bow of said Vessel, a net secured to the frame-work G H at one end and adapted to extend to the frame-work O D at the other end, a rope P, secured to the last-mentioned end of said net and extending through said frame-work O D, a spar Q, secured to the frame-Work G H, and means for raising and lowering said spar, substantially as shown and described. I

IRA DUNHAM.

Witnesses:

ALONZO EATON, ELLIOTT J. STODDARD. 

